Vendetta
by SophieSaulie
Summary: Suddenly his words were coming to haunt. "I am not getting myself killed for your vendetta..."
1. Chapter 1

**Vendetta**

He woke up feeling groggy, his head ached like he had done an all nighter at a bar. He was sitting on the floor of some dark room and when he tried to get up, it began to spin and he felt like he was going to be sick. Luckily, a few deep breaths staved that off, but he had decided to stay sitting for the moment.

He tried to remember what had happened. They had wrapped up another case and he had headed home. He had taken a can of beer out of the fridge, took a swig then settled in to wind down watching a little TV…It then dawned on him that he had been dosed.

He heard the door of the room he was in open. A shadow stood in the doorway then walked in. The man had a self-satisfied smile on his face. He thought the face looked familiar.

"Good morning, Detective Williams," the man said with a smooth and calm tone to his voice.

Danny's head cleared enough to remember who was standing over him.

"Wo Fat," he uttered.

**TBC**


	2. Chapter 2

**Vendetta**

**Chapter 2**

Wo Fat continued to smile at Danny.

"Stop that. You're really beginning to creep me out now."

"Well, I'm just glad that you recognize me. It saves a lot of time introducing myself," he said.

Anger filled Danny's body and he tried to stand again, but once again nausea and dizziness over took his body.

"I wouldn't try to get up, at least not for a little while. The drug's quite powerful."

"What the hell did you dose me with? No, forget that, how did you get into my house –"

"You do have a lot of questions, Detective. I guess it comes with the job, doesn't it? Your house wasn't exactly Fort Knox. After all, Hiro's men bypassed McGarrett's security system without a problem –"

Danny's face and demeanor changed from anger to concern.

"Where's Steve?" Danny asked, his concern now shifting away from his own predicament to needing to know if Wo Fat had Steve too. After all, Steve had pointed a gun at Wo Fat, had threatened him for being involved in his parents' murders.

Wo Fat laughed.

"What's so funny?"

"I wouldn't worry about him right now."

"Don't tell me what to worry about you son of a bitch," Danny said his anger returning.

"Careful, Detective. You have no idea who you're dealing with."

"Oh, I think I have a pretty good idea," Danny retorted back, his tone condescending.

"You wouldn't want anything to happen to your daughter, now would you?"

Danny's face then changed to rage at the threat to his Grace.

""If you touch her, if you even go near her, so help me God, I will kill you," Danny said his voice even more menacing than when he had threatened Hoffman with the same fate.

Danny was suddenly feeling pain in his gut and it was slowly growing. He was struggling to hide it, trying not to give Wo Fat any satisfaction, but it was getting harder and harder to do.

Wo Fat watched and kept on smiling. All Danny could think about was how he would love to wipe that smile off his face.

"As long as you cooperate with me, no harm will come to her. I have no quarrel with you, not now, but press me and I have the means to make my threat a reality. Right now, you're just a means to an end."

"What are you talking about?" Danny groaned out, trying to temper his anger for Grace's sake.

"That pain you're having right now? That's just the beginning. You see, the drug we dosed you with is…well, let's just say it's a special formulation. As for McGarrett, he'll be joining you soon enough."

"What's that supposed to mean? Cryptic, much? This is all sounding just a little too melodramatic. Why me?"

"Because you know as well as I do that McGarrett cares very little about his own personal safety. His vulnerability is people he cares about."

"Then you got the wrong guy, we just work together. That's where it begins and ends. Personally, he drives me up the friggin' wall," Danny tried to downplay.

"You underestimate me, Detective and you're really a lousy liar. I hope you don't play poker. No, everyone in 5-0 is important to McGarrett. He's a soldier, first and foremost. Loyalty is paramount and being the leader of the task force makes him feel responsible for everyone who serves under his command."

"You still haven't answered my question. Why am I here?" Danny asked in as defiant a tone as he could muster.

"What do you cops call it? Bait and trap? You're the bait and McGarrett will take it. He'll have no choice."

Danny swallowed hard.

"Now who's doing the underestimating, huh?" Danny said trying to hide his doubt.

"You know he will, Detective and when he does –"

"And when he does, you're a dead man because believe me, I've watched the man at work. He has anger management issues."

"At what cost? Your life? The lives of the others? No, I know the man better than you give me credit for. He'll sacrifice himself before he does any of you."

Danny had no pithy come back because he knew that Wo Fat was right. He had seen Steve's love for armed combat. Sometimes Danny wondered if he thrived on it.

"What do you want from him?"

"Revenge is a dish best served cold," Wo Fat said grimly.

"What? You're quoting Wrath of Khan to me now?"

Wo Fat only laughed again and then just walked out of the room.

Danny curled into a ball and let out a groan. The pain hitting him was intense.

"Damn it," Danny said, wondering what Wo Fat had dosed him with and if he would survive whatever revenge he wanted to exact on both him and Steve. Somehow he didn't think he'd be coming out of this alive unless by some miracle rescue and that made Danny wonder at what cost would that come.

The other thought in his head was what he had told Steve when he had gotten shot by Duran.

"_I am not getting myself killed for your vendetta..." _

When the pain started to subside, he allowed himself an internal rant, _"poor choice of words there". _ He also thought of Grace and worried about her safety. He had to protect her. He didn't know how he could do that trapped where he was, but he was going to try even if it meant getting himself killed in the process and that thought had brought up another memory.

_"Yeh, maybe I don't know, you know? There's three ways of looking at it. One, I could get myself killed chasing some meth head scumbag and then what kind of father would I be?"_

Danny, tired and weak, smiled then uttered to no one, but to his own echo, "Hmmm…hadn't considered a psychopath."

As he found himself drifting into unconsciousness, he made a mental note that if worse comes to worse, whatever revenge Wo Fat was seeking from Steve, he'd find a way to make sure that he didn't get it, that he would keep Steve from sacrificing himself. He didn't know how he was going to accomplish it, but the decision was a done deal.

**TBC**


	3. Chapter 3

**Vendetta**

**Chapter 3**

Steve arrived at the office after a great weekend with Catherine. She was going to be out at sea for a month and they had decided to spend time together before she left. He had to admit that their relationship had deepened over the last few months and he hadn't felt that happy in a long time. Danny had teased him about the goofy smile he had on his face after every time he had been with her and he had credited her for it.

He walked towards his office, walking by each of the others' offices. He got to Danny's expecting to find him there. He would never have pegged Danny to be a morning person, but almost without fail, he would beat him to the office, dressed in his shirt and tie. This time, though, Danny wasn't there. Steve found it strange, but had remembered that Danny had told him that he had Grace that weekend and that he had been planning a trip to Sea World with her. Grace had been hinting at it for weeks so Danny was going to surprise her. Maybe he had decided to take an extra day? But Danny was nothing if not by the book. He would have called him. He tried Danny's cell, but just got his voicemail. That wasn't like him either. He always had his phone on, knowing that he might have be to on-call at a moment's notice. Suddenly, Steve's sense of concern and suspicion was activated. He then decided that he would allay his suspicions by calling Rachel. He'd risk the ranting Danny would give him for checking up on him to get that reassurance. He had given Rachel's number to Steve just in case something happened to him. This seemed a legitimate reason to use it.

"Hello?" Rachel answered, her voice strained and decidedly worried.

"Hey, Rachel, this is Steve-"

"Steve? Have you heard from Danny?"

Steve's body went rigid with her tone.

"No, no, I was calling to ask you if you had seen him."

"No, he didn't pick up Grace on Saturday. Danny NEVER misses his weekends with her and he always calls if he can't make it. Grace is worried and frankly, so am I. I've tried calling him on his cell, but he's not answering. I kept hoping he'd get my messages, but...I wanted to call you, but Danny hadn't given me your number yet…"

Steve felt his heart race with adrenaline hearing the near panic in her voice.

"He hasn't shown up at the office either. I'm heading to his place. Tell Grace not to worry that her Danno loves her and that I'll find him. I'll find him, Rachel."

"Thank you, Steve. Please call me if you hear anything."

"You have my word."

Steve hung up the phone, rushed to his truck and drove off to Danny's. All the while he was thinking worst-case scenarios. A man like Danny who lived his life making sure that everything he did was by the rules, both in police and personal conduct didn't just break from routine. It wasn't like him. He would only do it if he had been coerced against his will and it would have taken a lot to do that such as physical force, being subdued unsuspectedly or threatening someone he cared about like Grace. Any one of those scenarios painted an unpleasant picture in Steve's mind.

Danny always made sure that every move he made against a criminal was tailored to prevent any chance of a case against them being thrown out because of a misstep on his part. Danny made sure there were no loopholes to find. Personally, he treated everyone from dispatch to anyone in the Five-0 task force with equal respect. He always said "please" and never let a request completed for him go without a thank you. He never pulled rank and never asked anyone to do anything he wouldn't do himself. Steve had been amazed at witnessing Danny's easy duality of efficient policework yet calm civility. It didn't mean Danny didn't possess a ferocity of protection for those he felt deserved someone in their corner like his partner Meka and of course his daughter Grace. It made his disappearance all the more disconcerting and worrisome.

Steve drove up to Danny's place and found his Camaro parked. Steve got out of his truck and noticed that the front door was ajar. He pulled out his gun from his holster, poised it firmly in his hands. He slowly and quietly approached the door, eyes and ears ever vigilantly watching and listening for anything out of the ordinary or for signs of injury. He swung the door open slowly and walked in. The scene was a mess.

Danny wasn't a neat person, but the room didn't reflect just the lazy messiness of a bachelor, but of struggle. Steve pulled his cell phone out and called Chin.

"Chin, I'm at Danny's place. He's been missing since the weekend and his place looks tossed. Can you and Kono get here as soon as you can? I need your help and fresh eyes on the scene. Also, get a detail to Rachel's house. She and Grace have to be protected. Whoever did this might go after them too," Steve asked then paused. "Thanks."

Steve knew he usually just barked orders and people followed them without complaint, but just at that moment, talking to Chin and seeing the wreck around him, it made him think of Danny and that he would have acknowledged a request like that with a simple expression of gratitude for getting help so Steve had done the same.

Suddenly the glow of the weekend with Catherine was fading and all Steve could think about was while he was enjoying himself, Danny had been fighting for his life and had been taken to God knows where.

A feeling of dread hit Steve. Danny was two days missing. Under the best of conditions, that was a grim statistic and he couldn't help, but feel that it should never have happened. There should have been a way for him to know that something had happened, a way for Danny to have alerted him. Rationally Steve knew that there was no way he could have foreseen Danny's abduction, but it didn't make him feel any better, all he felt at that moment was the same helplessness that he had felt when his father had been taken by Hesse. Steve's eyes then widened. Hesse. Wo Fat. He had threatened Wo Fat recently. This had to be retaliation. He would head to the prison and get Hesse to tell him what he knows even it meant beating Hesse to within an inch of death to do it. He'd take pleasure in that.

**TBC**


	4. Chapter 4

**Vendetta**

**Chapter 4**

Danny woke up feeling like he had the worst flu ever in his life. Sleeping on the hard floor didn't help and just lifting his body to a sitting position was a struggle and exhausting. He tried to stand, clawing along the wall to give him leverage and balance, but his legs could barely hold him up. He leaned for a second, taking in short breaths but eventually, he sat back down to the floor again. He felt a twinge of soreness at the junction of where his elbow was. He slowly rolled his shirtsleeve up and found two injection sites, both with dried blood on them. He cursed as he remembered his conversation with Wo Fat. He was dosing him with some kind of drug. He didn't know what it was, but he had learned that it had seemed to give him a lot of pain and made him feel weak and disoriented. He berated himself for getting caught off guard, but clearly he had been out numbered and once they had injected him, the more he struggled, the faster the effects hit him.

He didn't know what day it was or how long he had been out, but he'd been taken Friday night. His thoughts strayed to Gracie and how disappointed she must be now when he hadn't shown up to pick her up for Sea World. He hated when he had to break any promises to her. He saw her so little as it was and he didn't want to ever make her think that he had forgotten about her. He didn't know what bothered him more, being in the hellhole he was in or disappointing his daughter. Still, he had hoped that Rachel would worry rather than be angry and call Steve to let him know that he had gone missing. He also realized that even if she had, Steve and the others had no clue about where he was or where to start looking. He had been a cop long enough and had been involved in enough kidnapping cases to know that the longer it took for them to find him, the less likely it would be that they would or that they would find him dead. His only unique situation was that Wo Fat wasn't going to stop with kidnapping just him. He was just leverage against his real target, Steve, and he would be expendable once he got what he wanted. He didn't know if having a megalomaniac psychopath for an abductor might work in his favor or not, but it did buy him time.

He tried to clear his head and get it into cop mode, but the drug was making it difficult to focus and waves of pain were breaking his ability to move. He looked around the room. No windows…figures. So there was no way to ascertain where he was. In the end, even if he knew, he'd have no way to communicate to anyone his location anyway. His cell phone was gone, probably sitting on his dresser where he'd always leave it at the end of every day. He looked at the door and it had a small opening at the top. Every medieval movie came to mind as he examined his surroundings. At least they had barred windows. He laughed that he'd have to complain about his accommodations. He was being given water, couldn't have him die of dehydration before they got Steve, could they? He wasn't tied up so clearly they were counting on the drug to keep him from escaping. It seemed to be working pretty well by Danny's estimation if how he was feeling was any indication.

He was screwed and until he could find an opportunity he had to wait out whatever Wo Fat's grand plan was.

He didn't like being played and he didn't want to die just a pawn in a larger game. He especially didn't want to be used to get a friend and partner killed. He was going to make sure to look for an opening, if not one he could take advantage of, then one that Steve could use in his favor. People have underestimated him before and that was his biggest advantage. He just had to find that moment and he knew he would even if it meant dying in the process.

**TBC**


	5. Chapter 5

**Vendetta**

**Chapter 5**

Immunity and means. How many times had Steve cashed in on those powers? He had even used them to "recruit" Danny. A choice he didn't regret making, but powers he should **not **have exerted against someone he had learned soon after was a good man and cop.

This time, though, it went beyond just an idle threat. He really needed them because what he was about to do would normally be out of bounds. It was the kind of abuse of power that Danny would never approve of, not even if using them meant saving him, but Steve had no such qualms and felt no guilt because of the person he was about to use them on.

He had told the Governor about Danny's disappearance and what he had suspected. She had expressed the requisite shock and concern, but reminded him that violating the law and someone's civil rights no matter how reprehensible the man, wasn't something she could protect him from so though she understood and sympathized with the situation, she couldn't help him. Steve didn't hold her decision against her. He knew what he was asking was unconscionable so he didn't tell Kono or Chin what he was planning to do. He was driven by revenge and he wouldn't drag them down with him even though they would gladly follow, not just for him, but for Danny. What he was allowed to do was have Hesse transported to a secure location, locked in a room, unshackled and left alone with him to exact whatever methods he needed to get his answers.

Hesse was confused and worried as he was escorted then left alone in the room. He had no clue what he was doing there when Steve entered the room. Hesse just smiled.

"So, this all your idea, is it?"

Steve remained silent, his expression stony and unreadable.

"Silent treatment, aye?"

Steve took out some keys and went to Hesse's cuffs. He unlocked them and let the chains fall away. Hesse felt his arrogance wane a little.

"So, how's your man Chin?" Hesse pressed.

"I'm going to ask you this once. Do anything but tell me what I need to know and I promise you you'll wish you hadn't," Steve said with chilling certainty. "Where is Danny?"

"Who?"

Steve swung his fist into Hesse's face so hard it knocked him off of his chair.

"Wrong answer. Let me make it simpler for you. Where is Wo Fat holding Danny?"

Hesse pulled himself up from the floor, his face lined with anger.

"You can't do this. Guard! Guard!"

"Oh, yes I can. There's no one here to help you, Hesse. It's just you and me. How does it feel not to be the one in control, huh? To have your life in my hands?" Steve taunted, his voice dispassionate as he slammed Hesse against the wall, pulled his gun out and pressed it against his throat. "Don't question that I won't pull this trigger. You see, you and I aren't as different as you think."

Hesse felt the barrel tightly pressed against his throat and found it difficult to swallow.

"You have a choice here. You can tell me where Wo Fat has Danny or I beat the crap out of until you do. Play dumb with me and I'll get word to Wo Fat that you rolled on him and let him do all the dirty work for me. Frankly, though, I hope you push me because nothing would give me more pleasure than to personally send you to hell myself where you belong."

Hesse's bravado faded. He saw a kind of madness in McGarrett's eyes that even the death of his father, the threat to his fellow team member hadn't produced. He meant his threat and didn't care about the consequences.

"Look, I don't know anything about your partner, I swear."

Steve pistol whipped him so hard that Hesse fell back to the floor.

"I don't give a rat's ass about what you swear you know or don't know. I know that you have the inside track on Wo Fat and his operations so tell me what you DO know. You lie to me and something happens to my partner, you're as good as dead. I'll make sure of it."

Hesse swallowed hard again, rubbed his face and pulled himself back into his chair.

"Yeh, well, the feeling's mutual. Wo Fat is gunning for you. If he does have your partner, **he's **as good as dead and you're next."

"Tell me what you know. Let me worry about Wo Fat. He'll get what's coming to him soon enough."

**TBC**


	6. Chapter 6

**Vendetta **

**Chapter 6**

The pain was an overpowering and severe burning sensation that made him twist and turn as if trying to escape it by changing position, but to no effect. He'd close his eyes and pant through every spasm, unable to keep silent, the agony so powerful he had to groan. He'd place his hand on the wall, seeking anything to grip onto, but only found sharp edges that scraped into his skin as he moved his hands for purchase that wasn't there, adding to his anguish.

He'd been awakened just to be injected again. He'd tried to resist, but it'd been futile at best. Wo Fat's guards were stronger and Danny was being frayed with the relentlessness of the pain. He had barely slept and hunger was weakening him even further. The sleeplessness had been giving him hallucinations and he struggled to keep a clear head.

He heard the door open again and a part of him cringed and reacted instinctively by trying to move away from the footsteps he heard coming towards him.

"Danny? Danny?" the voice said as he felt someone grasp him by the shoulders and pull him up to a sitting position. The voice sounded familiar, but he could no longer trust what he was hearing or seeing.

Danny stiffened with pain.

"D...don't. D...don't." Danny groaned.

"Sorry, sorry," Steve said, concerned about hurting Danny.

"S...Steve?" Danny asked, confusion on his face.

"Yes, Detective. I told you that McGarrett would be joining you," Wo Fat taunted.

"No, no, you can't be here. It's what he wants." Danny resisted, every movement radiating pain all through his body causing him to groan.

Steve turned and lunged at Wo Fat, but was stopped by his men.

"What have you done to him, you bastard!"

"Nothing you won't be experiencing yourself soon."

"Danny hasn't done anything to you. It's me you want."

"All true, but Detective Williams serves a very important purpose. I want to put you through what you did to me."

"What I did to you? You killed my family!" Steve yelled.

"Remember my warning to you about pursuing the past, that you might not like what you see, well, your father, he destroyed my family first."

"What? You're lying! My father would never do anything -"

"Save you words. I know the truth. Their deaths are where my vendetta begins and where only your suffering will finally end it."

"Look, whatever you think you have to get from me, bring it, just let Danny go."

"Very noble of you. As I predicted, you care very little about what happens to you and ultimately, that would be far from what I want you to endure. The only way you can understand my pain is to watch someone important to you die as you helplessly watch. That is the burden I plan to place on your conscience."

Steve turned back his attention to Danny. The suffering all written on his face and body. When he looked back towards Wo Fat again, he had already gone and the door closed behind him.

He sat down next to his partner. His thoughts straying to his father and wondering what he had done. His faith had been shaken, but he realized that the past was over. Steve knew that brooding about it now wouldn't help them get out of their situation. He needed to concentrate on getting them both out of there. He knew that Danny would never compromise Steve's safety to save himself. It was not in him to do that so it would not be an option for him either.

They would have to make it out together.

**TBC**


	7. Chapter 7

**Vendetta**

**Chapter 7**

Danny heard footsteps in the room. He looked around, his body tired, but his spirit still unbroken, so far anyway, yet he knew that his body was losing its battle against the drug waging war on his system. In whatever the final confrontation would turn out to be, he knew he'd have to depend on his body being able to function well enough to escape. At that moment, he wasn't sure if it would be when the time came.

"Damn it. It wasn't a hallucination," Danny said disappointed, as he wearily leaned against the wall. "I can save you the trouble, you know. There's no way out of here, at least, not unless you're the Man in the Iron Mask. I've already checked. Didn't even get a room with a view."

Steve turned, walked back towards Danny and smiled at his sarcastic comment.

"What? I've read my share of the classics."

It was always a comfort to hear Danny rant, because a ranting Danny was a fighting Danny, but Steve became troubled as he assessed Danny's condition and he was concerned at how bad he looked. Clearly, he was in a lot of pain and he looked pale and weak. There were no obvious physical signs, but Steve did catch a small amount of blood on Danny's shirtsleeve. Anger bubbled at the surface, Steve knowing that Wo Fat was responsible.

"I don't suppose you brought back up?" Danny asked.

"Chin and Kono have the coordinates. They'll be here soon with HPD reinforcements. We just have to play out Wo Fat's game and buy ourselves some time until they get here."

Danny nodded.

"Not that I'm not grateful, but how'd you find me anyway?" Danny breathed heavily.

"I paid a visit to Hesse," Steve smiled with satisfaction.

"Let me guess, you used the immunity and means card, didn't you?" Danny teased.

"Well, that and my winning personality."

Danny laughed, but spasmed in pain. It distressed Steve to see him in pain because of an enemy that had nothing to do with Danny.

"Where are we anyway?" Danny asked.

"One of Wo Fat's strongholds on Moloka'i," Steve informed him.

"Huh, Hesse tell you that?" Danny groaned.

"After some persuasion," Steve said.

"Yeh, I bet," Danny grinned.

"What's Wo Fat done to you?" Steve asked, worry and a touch of anger in his voice.

"He seems to think I'm his personal lab rat," Danny said and smiled sardonically then grimaced. "He's dosing me with something. He calls it a special formulation."

Danny clenched his body. Steve went to reach for him, but Danny waved him off.

"Don't know what it's doing to me other than the obvious. He's planning on using it on you so we have to make our move to get out of here before he does because it's no picnic," he explained.

"We will and we'll get you some help. Whatever it is, we'll figure it out or I'll get it out of Wo Fat," Steve affirmed.

Danny nodded, enduring another wave of pain.

"Listen, to quote a Super SEAL I know, if we go to guns and you see an opening, you take it, okay?"

"We're getting out together."

"Am planning on that, believe me, but if something happens to me -"

"Then I'll just have to haul your ass out myself," Steve joked.

"I could have done without **that **image, thank you very much," Danny said then got serious again. "I mean it, Steve. Do **not** let Wo Fat get to you through me. More importantly, don't let him get to you through your father."

Steve threw Danny a surprised look.

"What? So I heard. I'm not deaf, you know," Danny joked then grimaced. "You told me that what happened to your mom made you who you are. Whatever your dad did to Wo Fat was between them. Knowing what happened won't change anything or change who you are so let the vendetta end with you, okay? If you let that keep eating at you then Wo Fat wins."

Steve was moved by Danny's insight and he was right. Knowing what Wo Fat thought was an injustice done by his father, didn't change the fact that he had a good father and a loving mother. He was who he was because of them. Knowing anything else wouldn't diminish that.

"How'd you get so smart all of a sudden?"

"I have an eight year old daughter…" Danny said then worry lined his face. He'd been so pre-occupied with the pain that he had forgotten Wo Fat's threat.

Steve had spotted it.

"Grace and Rachel are safe. I have a detail on them."

"Thank you," Danny said, exhaling with relief.

"Only thing you have to worry about is getting out of here and getting back to Grace."

Danny nodded and fell unconscious. Steve was determined to get Danny out safely and back to his daughter. That was mission priority.

**TBC**


	8. Chapter 8

**Vendetta**

**Chapter 8**

Danny was finding it hard to breathe. He was actually impressed that he had lasted as long as he had. He'll have to up his statistics on pain threshold. He had never felt so tired, but he was doing everything he could to gain any strength he could back. He knew that the only way out for them was to break out and he had to be ready do that because he knew that if he faltered, Steve would risk rescue not to leave him behind. The responsibility weighed heavily with Danny. It wasn't that he was the type to give up or to even be sacrificial because getting back to Grace was as huge a motivator as anything, but he also didn't want to be a liability. He didn't want his physical limitations, as they got worse and worse, preventing Steve from getting away either. So he rested and hoped that whatever gain he got from it would allow him to push adrenaline into his body when he needed it.

Danny watched Steve getting prepared. He had told him that when Wo Fat's men had searched him, they had missed the ear piece they usually wear when going on stake out or undercover so Steve heard that Chin, Kono and some HPD SWAT forces were on the island and almost where they were. Time was up. Danny was getting all the rest he was going to. It would have to be enough.

"They're almost here. You ready?"

"Yeh, yeh," Danny said.

Steve nodded and without any other words, they set their plan in motion. Danny positioned himself on the ground so that when the guard got close, he'd catch him off guard enough for Steve to subdue him. Steve began to bang on the door.

"HEY! HEY! My partner, he's in trouble!"

The guard came over to look through the peep door.

"Shut up in there!" He yelled back.

"Hey, look, my partner is having trouble breathing. I know Wo Fat well enough to know that I don't think he wants him dead, not yet anyway, but hey, it's on your head, buddy."

The guard looked over and heard Danny struggling for breath. It was only partially an act. It wasn't hard for Danny to heighten his difficulty for effect because he was already having a hard time.

The guard hesitated for a few minutes then called over another guard as a precaution. He unlocked the door and opened it.

"You watch him," he told the other man and he pulled a gun on Steve to keep him from interfering.

The guard went over to Danny and he heard his struggle. Danny watched him come over and got a view of his feet. With every ounce of strength he could bring to bear, he grabbed the guard's legs tightly and flipped him to the floor. Steve then reacted to take out the guard watching him by grabbing his gun hand, twisting the gun loose from his grip then kneeing him in the groin. He then knocked him unconscious with a swift blow to the head.

Danny's guard, caught completely unprepared, lost his balance and fell to the ground. Danny pushed himself to a standing position with a loud grunt then snatched the gun from the man's holster, amazed that he had any reflexes at all. Steve came over and completed taking him out, knowing that Danny only had enough strength to get the man down, not to subdue him. Danny leaned against the wall, his breathing ragged and his body enflamed with pain.

"You, okay?"

Danny straightened to feel how his legs were and though they were shaky, they were holding him up, for now.

"Yeh, yeh, let's go," he said as he shifted the gun more securely in his hands and put himself into the proper readiness posture.

Steve was really worried. Danny was pretending that he could hold his own, but he looked deathly, still, Steve was amazed at how focused Danny became when called on to provide cover. Steve knew he was running on empty so the sooner they got out of there, the better.

Steve told Danny to go first so that he could watch his back, knowing that Danny couldn't be as sharp as he'd like to be. They both maneuvered down the hallway, waiting for reinforcements to rush their way, but luckily they had been stealthy enough that no alarms had been immediately sounded. Steve then heard his earpiece squawk and heard Chin telling them they were infiltrating the building they were in.

"Danny, they're here. We're almost home free, buddy. Hang on a little longer."

Danny didn't answer, trying not to lose focus for fear that once he did, his body would break the tenuous hold he had over it.

They kept walking down the hallway, hearing the sound of voices coming towards them, hoping they were Chin and Kono with HPD, but readying for something worse. Steve's attention was looking forward, trying to spot who was heading their way. Danny was scanning as well, covering blind spots that Steve might not see because he was focused elsewhere. It was a rhythm that had developed between them over the last few months as they began working together. For both of them it became almost instinctual, each knowing when the other needed coverage and where they needed it.

It was then that Steve spotted Chin coming towards them with his shotgun, Kono never far away behind him. He waved them over. Danny never surrendered his focus and continued to watch despite having the team there. He couldn't explain whether it was the drug just making him hallucinate or if he was just sensing something from being in such a heightened state, but he felt something was off, that there was a sound off in the distance, hidden in shadow, foot steps coming from the opposite direction that no one else was hearing.

As Chin, Kono, and Steve relaxed their attention to debrief, Danny kept watching. Finally, a stream of light was broken by movement and Danny caught the glint of a gun.

"GUN! GUN! Get down!" He yelled as he first stepped past Steve and pushed him out of the way. He then pumped shots into what seemed like just blackness.

All three of them turned towards Danny's direction, guns drawn then witnessed a body fall to its knees. As the face caught another stream of light, they saw that it was Wo Fat. He had the glazed eyes of shock, surprise and death as he collapsed to the ground. They heard another noise near them, heavy, labored breathing. They then saw their partner, their friend drop the gun he was holding, bracing himself against a nearby wall. He slowly fell to the ground. Steve ran over to catch Danny. Danny just smiled.

"Got you, you bastard," was all he said before he lost consciousness.

"Chin, get help down here," Steve said as he looked at Danny. "Hang on, Danny. You hear me? Hang on."

**TBC**


	9. Chapter 9

**Vendetta**

**Chapter 9**

Danny had been medivaced from the island. The rescue team stabilizing him enough for travel. He had lost consciousness after killing Wo Fat. He had saved all their lives by staying on point. He had been tortured by Wo Fat, but Danny had fought and had fought hard to stay focused. He had often teased Steve that he had possessed an inhuman capability to keep from passing out under all manner of extreme circumstances, but Steve knew that It was Danny who had possessed true strength because throughout everything that Wo Fat had done to him, he had made sure that his friends would be safe. The same kind of devotion that he lavished on his daughter, he also held equally valuable when it came to his friends.

Danny had also kept Steve from losing sight of what was important, that continuing the vendetta would only ultimately destroy him. It was cold comfort knowing that Danny could still die because of Wo Fat's need for revenge against him, but he was determined to honor Danny's plea and let the past stay the past. Steve found it poetic justice that Danny had killed Wo Fat. He also believed that in some way Danny had been glad that he was the one who got to do it. His own payback on so many levels.

Steve had wanted to go with Danny to the hospital, but he felt that it was important to trace back whatever Wo Fat was poisoning Danny with to its source or to the scientist who had created it. Steve was worried that whatever it was, it wasn't harmless, wasn't just about inflicting pain. After all, he had intended to use it on Steve, probably to kill him with it as soon as he was done with Danny.

Steve, Kono and Chin ransacked Wo Fat's compound. They found a safe in what they believed was his office. Steve opened it with yet another one of those "special skills" he once vaguely told Danny that he and Nick Taylor had possessed. The memory of that betrayal still stung at times.

Once opened, they searched through it where Steve found two things of importance. One was a tray full of vials. The poison, he suspected. He handed it over to Kono.

"Get this over to toxicology. Tell them to put a rush on it because Danny's life may depend on figuring out what it's made of."

"On it, Boss," she said as she left.

The other thing he found was a key in an envelope with a piece of paper that had an address on it.

"What do you think it is?" Chin asked.

"The key to a lock maybe? Address could be a storage facility."

"You want me to check it out?"

Steve fiddled with the key. His gut twisting with dread and suspicion.

"Let's go with back up. It could be a trap," Steve said as he handed Chin the address and pocketed the key.

Chin nodded and left to set it up. Steve followed him out.

**TBC**


	10. Chapter 10

**Vendetta**

**Chapter 10**

Steve had gotten a call from Rachel that Danny had awakened. The doctors were making him comfortable, but he was still feeling pain and had developed a fever. Steve had decided to stop by and check on Danny first. He told Chin to go ahead and he'd catch up later. Some things were more important. Danny had taught him that.

When Steve walked into the room, he heard Danny moan and thought about letting him rest, but Danny saw him and nodded for him to come in.

"How're you doing?" Steve asked.

"Better."

"Liar," Steve teased and challenged.

"Am not," Danny protested tiredly as he grimaced, "Okay, maybe just a little. Find anything in Wo Fat's den of inequity?"

"We found some vials in a safe in Wo Fat's office. Toxicology is working on finding out what's in them."

Danny nodded then sensed there was more Steve wasn't telling him.

"You found something else?"

"Probably nothing."

"Are you going to share sometime this century, Steven? Or are you going to tax my patience like you usually do?"

Steve grinned. Danny always managed to surprise him. Even after all he had gone through, he had never lost his sarcastic sense of humor.

"We also found an address and a key. Chin's checking it out right now."

"And why aren't you there?" Danny asked.

"Wanted to see how you were doing."

"While I'm touched by your concern, I'm doing fine. You go find out what's at that address."

"Like I said, it's probably nothing."

"And yet you're dying to find out, aren't you?" Danny teased.

Steve hated to be that transparent, but after only a few months of working together and becoming friends, Danny had found it easy to read him.

"Go," Danny softly insisted. "Tell me what you find. I'm not going anywhere."

"Okay," Steve said as he started to walk away, but then turned back. "Thanks."

Danny just nodded.

**505050**

Steve arrived at the address. It wasn't to a storage facility as he had thought, but to a small home. He ordered the HPD back up to surround the house as he and Chin entered at the front. Since Wo Fat was connected to it somehow, they treaded carefully. Instead of bursting in, Steve picked the lock after trying the key he had and realizing it didn't fit. They entered and Chin let the other officers in. They cleared each room except for one. It was locked. Steve tried the key in the lock and it worked.

A part of Steve was actually nervous, even afraid. Could this room contain secrets he wouldn't want to know the answers to? Would knowing them make any difference? He was a different man now. Still, he felt the need to know one way or another. He walked through the door and found nothing out of the ordinary at first glance. It was like any home office with the exception that it didn't have a computer. It had a desk, a typewriter, bookshelves, pictures on the wall, and a filing cabinet. He walked over to the desk and tried the drawers. They were locked, but they were hardly sophisticated locks. He took out his pocket knife and jimmied the drawer lock open. He slid the drawer open and found files inside. He pulled them out and began sifting through them. One of them was filled with photos. He looked at each of them and found pictures of Wo Fat, dressed in uniform as well as pictures of him with an attractive asian woman and a young child. It was possible that this was his family.

As Steve looked at more pictures, he suddenly found it difficult to reconcile the Wo Fat in the pictures to the man who had killed his familly. He then found another picture of Wo Fat with someone he recognized. It was his father.

**TBC**


	11. Chapter 11

**Vendetta**

**Chapter 11**

Rachel was going to bring Grace over once the doctors had finished examining Danny. Danny was still feeling pain everywhere and every time he moved. He'd shiver uncontrollably for no reason it seemed to him yet his temperature was 102. He was worried about scaring his daughter, but knew that it would be far worse for her if she didn't see him. He had to reassure her that he was okay even if he looked and felt like he had been dragged out of the depths of Hell. Grace looked worried when she entered his room, but he put on his best smile for her and had to hope that his body would cooperate and not challenge him in a way that he couldn't hide it from her.

"Hey, Monkey," Danny welcomed as he reached out his hand for her to grasp.

Grace saw the smile on his face and though he did look sick, it wasn't scary to see him and seeing his hand reaching out for her made her quickly forget her worries. She took his hand and he squeezed it gently. He then stroked her face.

"You don't look so good, Daddy," Grace said with the honesty of a child.

"Gotta be honest, sweets, I'm not feeling so good, but I'll be okay. I just need a lot of time to get better. It's like I have a really bad flu. Remember when you got sick with it last year?"

Danny was hoping that by telling her that he was feeling exactly like she had when she had gotten the flu, she would not only understand, but realize that getting well would be no big deal as she had gotten over it too.

"Yeh, it wasn't nice," Grace said as her face scowled from the memory.

"It's not nice at all and I'm feeling the same thing only sometimes it takes longer for grown ups to get better. I don't want you to worry, okay?"

"Okay, Danno."

Danny squeezed his eyes in pain and let go of Gracie's hand to grip the railing. He had to get her out of the room before she could see how bad his pain was. Rachel understood as she spotted the pleading expression on his face.

"Grace, let's let Daddy rest, okay? We'll come back a little later."

Danny nodded in gratitude towards Rachel as she tried to guide Grace out of the room quickly, without scaring her.

"Love you, Danno," Grace said as she walked out.

"Love…you…more," Danny said, frustration and a little anger filled his body at being unable to control what was happening to him.

Once both of them were out of the room, he pressed the call button near his bed and allowed himself to groan, his grip on the railing tightening.

**505050**

Steve had pored over the files he had found at the house that he had assumed belonged to Wo Fat. He had them brought back to his office so that he could examine them more closely. There were documents about an incident that had happened over twenty years ago where his father, then a cop, had initiated a raid on what was thought to have been a base of operations for drug smuggling. It had been the house that Steve had just visited. It had been determined that the information provided had been incorrect, given by a confidential informant who had wanted to get even with a competitor and had used his father and the HPD as a way to accomplish that revenge. The competitor had been Wo Fat. Shots had been fired in the home and a woman and a young boy had been killed in the crossfire. Wo Fat's family. So enraged by the loss of his family, Wo Fat had tortured and killed the informant. A few months later, Steve's mother had been killed in the explosion that had been meant for his father. Thus the chain of the vendetta had been forged and lives altered inexorably. Even though his father had only been indirectly at fault for the murder of Wo Fat's family, he had been targeted from that very moment by a man driven by grief and the madness that sometimes accompanies it.

The photo was the only mystery. It depicted what seemed like his father and Wo Fat together, smiling, drinking at a bar, as if they had been friends. There was no other documentation in any of the files to explain it. Then something clicked for Steve. Hiro Yoshimuri's brother had been a cop and Special Agent Jenna Kaye had told him that Wo Fat had not always been on the wrong side of the law. Maybe the answer was in his father's files. His phone rang as he started to pack up to drive back to his place. It was Kono.

"Kono, what have you got? Is Danny okay?" Steve asked, realizing that he had been so absorbed with Wo Fat's files, he had lost track of time.

"I just got back the toxicology results. They did an analysis of the fluid in the vials using their mass spectrometer and though a lot of it was hard to determine, one thing came up clearly. Heroin."

"Heroin? You mean Danny has been shot up with heroin?"

"Not just it alone, but some kind of derivative along with other components that seem to make it more potent and accelerates its effects. The good news is Danny should be okay now that he's not getting injected anymore, but just like an addict, he'll have to go through withdrawal before it's out of his system. It could last for hours and because it's a derivative, we don't know what it will do to Danny as it does."

Steve felt that he had to table his investigation into what kind of relationship his father had with Wo Fat. He had to get to Danny and give him the lab's findings.

"Thanks, Kono. We've got to let Danny and his doctors know about what the lab found out. I'll meet you there."

"Right, boss," she said as she hung up.

Steve cleared his desk of all of the files and headed towards the hospital.

**TBC**


	12. Chapter 12

**Vendetta**

**Chapter 12**

"Heroin? Wo Fat was shooting me up with smack?" Danny asked, incredulous, as he lay back with a groan after hearing everything from Kono and Steve.

"Heroin with a mix of other components they couldn't identify with certainty," Kono said.

"So? What does that mean exactly?"

"Well..." Kono started, but hesitated.

"Okay, I get it, what's the good news?"

"Now that you're not getting injected anymore, it should work its way out of your system in the next few hours," she added.

"And the bad news?"

"Like any other addict coming off it, the withdrawal-"

"…is gonna be a bitch," Danny finished for her as she nodded.

"And because it's a formulation..." Kono trailed off.

"I'm on my own," Danny said as he nodded his head as if coming to a decision.

"No, Danny, you're not alone in this. We're all going to help you get through it. The doctors said that you're probably well on your way to working the stuff out of your system already. They'll work on making sure you don't have any other complications," Steve assured.

"That's very reassuring. Well, that would explain why I feel like death warmed over."

Danny looked at the people surrounding him and felt lucky. He wasn't alone. He sometimes had to remind himself of that; that he may have come to the island alone with only Gracie as his tether, but he now had friends whom he trusted with his life and who had more than proven that they were there for him.

"Thank you. All of you," Danny said humbled by their reassuring presence.

"You guys get some sleep," Steve said. "I'll stick around."

Chin and Kono nodded and walked out of the room. Danny noticed that Steve had a few folders in his hand.

"What's that?" Danny asked pointing with the jerk of his head.

Steve looked at the folders.

"Nothing. Just some files I found at that address Wo Fat had in his safe."

Danny noticed Steve's demeanor change.

"And?"

"Look, you need your rest –"

"Oh no you don't. You have that face –"

"Again with the face, I don't have a face."

Danny twitched with pain and panted through it.

"Do you need me to get the doctor?"

"No, no," Danny breathed out. "Just need…to ride it out and yes, you do have a face. Spill."

Steve pulled up a chair beside the bed. Danny didn't completely relax, but Steve waited until he calmed a little.

"I found out that my dad knew Wo Fat, but I don't know how yet."

"Knew him? What do you mean?"

"There's a picture of them together, at a bar, smiling, like they were friends."

Steve sat back in his chair, a look of confusion on his face.

"Apparently in a raid gone bad, Wo Fat's family got killed in that house, a raid my dad was on," Steve explained. "A few months after that, my mom was killed."

Danny watched Steve's face change again to sadness.

"I'm sorry," Danny said, sympathy in his voice.

"I need to find out what happened between that picture and when Wo Fat suddenly decided to go dark side."

"Is that all of the files?"

"No, I was going to head home and get my dad's files. Maybe Wo Fat was on the force with him? Hiro's brother, Koji was there in 1992."

"Yeh, I remember. Go home, bring what you find back here," Danny said.

"Danny –"

"Don't argue with me, Steven. If I'm gonna be stuck in this hospital bed, riding out, what I have a feeling will be some pretty unpleasant things for who knows how many hours, I'll need something to shift my focus."

Steve was amazed at Danny's selflessness.

"Okay," Steve said.

Danny just nodded as Steve left to get his father's files. He had to admit that having Danny helping him would give him some objective perspective on everything. At that moment, there was a tug of war waging where a part of him didn't want to know the truth, to stay blissfully ignorant and just remember his father the way that he always had, but another part of him needed to know the truth. Danny was going through so much more than he was and yet he was able to set his problems aside to help him. Steve couldn't have asked for a better friend. Still, Danny's struggles ahead weighed heavily on Steve as well. He understood what Danny was facing first hand. It made Steve laugh to think that Danny viewed him as invincible, unafraid of anything. He was far from that and far from being without flaws. He wondered what Danny would think of him if he knew how intimately he understood what Danny was about to go through.

**TBC**


	13. Chapter 13

**Vendetta**

**Chapter 13**

Steve compiled a box with all the relevant files he thought would help him narrow down a solution about his father's connection with Wo Fat. He brought them to Danny's room where he caught his friend and partner grunting through pain, his hands white knuckled around the bars of his bed railing. When it eased, Steve brought a cup of water that he had poured from a nearby pitcher. He tried to hand it to Danny, but Danny's hands were trembling both from the withdrawal and from having squeezed the bars so tightly. Steve got a straw and held the cup for Danny.

"Thanks," Danny breathed heavily, the exhaustion clearly on his face.

"No problem. Should I bother asking you how you're holding up?" Steve asked.

"Don't really know exactly. I'm not feeling any different, so I'm guessing not so good," Danny joked.

'You won't for awhile," Steve said absently. "But I promise it will get better…just about the time you think it never will."

Danny caught the sadness and regret in Steve's voice.

"Sounds like you're speaking from experience," Danny queried gently and seriously. It was clear to him that if Steve was speaking from his own personal experience, it wasn't something you made a joke or pushed for answers about.

"Yeh, well, you'd be surprised at what you don't know about me, Danny," Steve said, a shaky smile that disappeared as quickly as it had appeared.

Danny saw the faraway look of regret on Steve's face and felt only empathy for him. He had decided not to pursue it unless Steve volunteered it. It didn't change his view of his friend. Everyone made mistakes, Danny included. What was more important was how you came out of it on the other side and it seemed to him that Steve, barring a penchant for armed conflict, had come out of it, if not completely whole, then as much shaped from what had happened to him as possible, if not stronger. Danny couldn't think of a better person to see him through his withdrawal.

"I brought the files that I think might help."

"Ready to roll, fearless leader," Danny said, easing himself into a sitting position as comfortably as he could. 

It hadn't gone unnoticed by Steve how considerately Danny had let his statement drop. He knew that Danny wouldn't press the issue unless Steve wanted to talk about. Over the last few months of working together, an implicit trust had developed between them. That trust was imperative as partners. He had shared the day that he had lost his mom with him, something that wasn't easy for him to open up about. Danny had been sympathetic, as Steve knew he would be.

Danny read through the files with Steve. He'd have to occasionally stop when the cramping in his gut had him curled up or puking into a bucket. Danny had cursed that his puking record was officially over, making Steve smile in spite of the situation. Steve would help by giving him water to keep him hydrated, but he knew from experience that there wasn't much else he could do for him. Withdrawal was a process that had to be endured. Steve cursed Wo Fat for making Danny suffer needlessly. He hadn't deserved what he was going through and Steve knew why Wo Fat was going to use it on him. He had somehow found out about Steve's past and that particular vulnerability.

Danny had noticed that Steve had become distracted. He was worried about him. Ever since they had found out that Wo Fat had been injecting him with heroin, Steve had been quiet, a condition that set off alarm bells in Danny. An introspective Steve usually meant something was bothering him. Then there was the vague reference that Steve had understood what Danny was going through. He was no rocket scientist, but he got the inference. Danny didn't know how to approach the subject except to show concern.

"You okay?" Danny asked.

Steve looked up at Danny from the folder he was failing to read for the last few minutes.

"When my mom died, I was...lost. I was confused, angry that someone as good as my mom would be taken from me. I even blamed my dad, told him that because he was a cop, she got targeted. I mean, I didn't know anything about my dad's life as a cop then, so to find out that maybe that was true now…anyway, I was messed up. I turned to drugs to take the pain away."

Danny listened empathetically. Steve had confirmed what he had already deduced, that Steve had gone through an addiction himself.

"Wo Fat knew that when he had planned on using that on me."

"Whoa, whoa, you don't know that. How could he have known and why would he use that particular drug on you?"

"Because when I was at my lowest, I killed someone."

**TBC**


	14. Chapter 14

**Vendetta**

**Chapter 14**

Danny heard the words, but more important than that, he felt the remorse in Steve's voice when he had said them. Over the course of becoming partners, Danny had learned about Steve's skills from being a Navy SEAL and had come to understand and respect his laser focus when it came to military tactics, but Danny also saw that layered with all that training was a human being capable of empathy and compassion towards innocents. He had to admit that Steve had a lot to learn about police procedure as well as not painting a broad brush black hat/white hat to situations, but Danny knew that Steve was willing to be open minded. Truth be admitted, Danny had learned a lot from his partner as well.

Steve's faith had been shaken over the past months, first with the death of his father, then the kidnapping of his sister, and then the betrayal of a friend. The revelations that his mother's death hadn't been an accident, but a murder plot on his father gone wrong and that Hesse killing his father was a contract put out by Wo Fat had been overwhelming. Danny had watched with sympathy and had offered support to help ease and heal those breaks in faith where he could. Steve revealing that he had been an addict wasn't so much a surprise as it was just another piece to the puzzle that allowed Danny to understand the man better. It wasn't something Danny would ever judge against him, but he got the impression that Steve judged himself by it, seeing it as a weakness and worrying that Danny would think less of the man he had portrayed himself to be. As for killing someone, Danny knew there was a reasonable explanation and that he had known Steve long enough to know that he would never kill someone unless it couldn't be avoided. Threatening to kill them, now that was a different story.

"You don't have to –" Danny started.

"I know," Steve acknowledged, saying all Danny needed to know.

Steve had wanted to tell him everything so Danny just listened.

"I had a best friend, Mark. He was just being my friend, telling me I had a problem, but I wouldn't listen…I was so high to escape the pain I didn't care what happened to me. I ended up on the roof of the gym…He tried to talk me down, but…he grabbed me…then I grabbed him and I…" Steve felt his chest tighten. "I threw him off."

Danny grimaced at the thought of Steve enduring the grief of losing his friend, but in his eyes, he hadn't killed him, not on purpose.

"Steve, it was an accident. You didn't mean to hurt him. You weren't in control."

"NO! NO! Don't tell me that. I tossed him off that roof. I KILLED him! It should have been me."

Danny watched Steve break, on the brink of tears.

"I get that it was horrible. I get that you feel responsible. I'd be more worried if you didn't, but you didn't kill your friend. You were in a dark place after your mom died," Danny tried to comfort. "It seems to me you've already punished yourself enough."

"It'll never be enough and now..." Steve trailed off, wiping his tears away, thinking about Danny and his situation, a situation brought about because of a vendetta against him.

"Now? What about now?"

Danny then read the meaning beyond the words.

"No. No, you don't get to own what happened to me. What Wo Fat did to me wasn't your fault," Danny insisted, his body quaking with pain that he was trying to keep under control. He needed to get through to Steve.

"It was because of a vendetta against me that this happened to you."

"You know, you really have to work on your self-recrimination skills and learn to recognize that you can't be held responsible for everyone else's choices," Danny teased lightly.

Steve didn't look convinced.

"Listen to me. Wo Fat is dead. The vendetta died with him. Now, it's up to you to let it go, Steve," Danny said, struggling for breath through more spasms of pain. "Let your friend go. Let your father go."

Danny then couldn't talk anymore. He closed his eyes to concentrate through his pain. Steve looked at his partner and friend and realized that he was right. He had to help Danny through his withdrawal and forget the rest. Maybe by doing that, he could finally come to peace with everything.

**TBC**


	15. Chapter 15

**Vendetta**

**Chapter 15**

Danny's fever was 103. It had spiked overnight. He was still experiencing withdrawal pain for which the intensity didn't seem to be lessening. The doctors gave him IV antibiotics in the hopes of defeating any infection that could be causing the fever. They were being judicious about the pain medication, fearing that the modifications done to the heroin by Wo Fat would drive Danny down into a morphine overdose if they weren't careful.

Steve watched Danny's suffering and hated that Wo Fat had done this to his friend. After sharing his addictive and dark past with Danny, something only his sister and father had known about, and receiving nothing but support and encouragement from him, Steve had decided not to waste his energy feeling sorry for himself anymore. Danny had made him see that he had to let go of his past. He needed his support and Grace needed his comfort. Putting those needs first gave Steve a renewed and different sense of purpose.

He had always had a crystal clear picture of his purpose as a soldier and now as a cop, with the help of Danny, Chin and Kono, but his personal perspective had revolved around his father and sister alone. His intimate relationships had been peripheral, at best, though his relationship with Catherine was deepening into more than just being another "port in a storm" as she liked to put it. His friendship with Danny had elevated him into a family, Danny's little girl. It was a commitment he, at first, wanted to keep at arm's length, to be kept strictly as an observer, but Danny had embraced everyone into playing a role in Grace's life and in his relationship with her. It was a trust that everyone felt honored by and the more time spent with her, the more invested Steve had become in making sure she was safe when Danny, like now, couldn't protect her. It surprised him at how that protectiveness came so easily.

Steve had comforted and explained to Grace what was happening to her father as gently as he could. Danny had been fading in and out of consciousness and he didn't want to scare her. He also worried that she might see him have a setback since he was losing control of what was happening to him and he couldn't bear the idea of giving her an image of her father like that. Rachel tried to help ease Grace's anxiety as best as she could as well, but both knew that Danny was the only one who could soothe her and make her feel safe again.

Steve slept in a chair near Danny's bedside, just as his father had done for him when he had gone through withdrawal. He only went home to change and shower or to get a quick bite to eat. He had refused to leave Danny to endure any moment of it alone even when Chin and Kono had visited and had stayed with both of them. He would hear Danny moan and breathe with difficulty and even with all of the monitoring equipment attached to Danny that would go off if anything changed, Steve found it hard to fall asleep, reminding him of night patrols when he would be listening for an approaching enemy. Truth be told, he was also afraid to sleep. His experience with addiction and withdrawal only helped to a point. Danny's situation was unique in that whatever Wo Fat had given him might be so different that it would go beyond his expertise and more frighteningly, go beyond anything predictable.

Steve heard Danny groan and grab the railing of his bed. He was doing his best to make Danny as comfortable as possible, but all he really could do was give him water or ice chips, whichever soothed the best, that and talking to him when Danny felt up to a conversation, something Steve never thought he would ever miss.

"Hey, buddy, tell me what you need," Steve asked.

Danny exhaled, feeling exhausted then scoffed.

"I need you to put a bullet in my brain and take me out of my misery."

From any other person, Steve might be concerned, but Danny, Danny had a love for life, he lived for Grace and would never wish for death. Steve knew he would endure much more if it meant surviving for Grace.

"Very funny."

"Wasn't trying to be," Danny said with a pained grin. "I do know one thing, I've gained a whole new respect for your threshold for pain."

Steve grinned in return.

"Right back at you, partner," Steve said, his expression falling a little knowing that what Danny was going through far exceeded anything he had gone through.

"What? You have that face again."

This time, Steve didn't argue because he knew he did.

"I finished looking through my dad's stuff and found some of my answers."

Steve took in a breath.

"And once again, you're keeping me in suspense, why?" Danny teased.

"Jenna was right. Wo Fat wasn't always a criminal."

"Jenna? Are we on a first name basis now?"

"Our missions are the same, finding the truth."

"Missions? Is that CIA-speak for revenge? Because be honest, you were both on your own vendettas."

Steve nodded in agreement.

"So? Continue," Danny said.

"Turns out Wo Fat and my dad worked on a case together. Wo Fat had worked for Chinese Intelligence back then so he had come to Hawaii to ask HPD for help in finding an arms trafficker."

"Hmmm…Can you say, ironic?" Danny said as he lay back on his bed.

"Yeh." Steve said. "There's still no information on why Wo Fat became a criminal, but it doesn't matter to me anymore. I've got all the answers I need."

"You do? Really?"

"Yeh, I decided to take someone's advice and let go of the past."

"Hmmm…sounds like a smart man. Do I know him?" Danny joked.

Steve laughed.

"Get some sleep."

"Is that an order?"

"Yes, that's an order."

Danny nodded and fell asleep. Steve noticed that it was the first peaceful sleep Danny had had in days. Maybe things were finally looking up.

**TBC**


	16. Chapter 16

**Vendetta**

**Chapter 16**

Danny's fever had finally broken and though he felt like a wrung out towel, the intense pain had ramped down to an ache, the kind of ache that he had felt in his knee after surgery only it was in every muscle and tendon, maybe even bone of his body. Still, it was a relief he welcomed. He had found all his friends around him in various chairs, asleep. He had affection for all of them.

Each one a native of the islands he often cursed and yet they had accepted the transplant from Jersey, a haole, as if he had been born there with them. Though Steve hadn't been born there, either, his heart and soul were as native as Chin's and Kono's. Danny had never expected to feel such belonging. Even partnered with Meka, he had felt more like a visitor than a part of something. Not anymore. He had become a family member of this team and they had become a part of his family with Grace. The commitment to them was just as deep as his commitment to his daughter, the bonds were just as strong and as he recuperated, he was certain that he would endure anything for each of them as well.

Being partners with Steve McGarrett had seemed completely inconceivable when they had met. No two people were as different in style and Steve's abrasive presence and, at the time, seeming disrespect for the law, not to mention Danny's well-being immediately rubbed him the wrong way, yet as Dannny came to understand Steve's focus and fearlessness towards justice, he had determined that he could accept their differences to work with him towards that same justice. Steve had shanghaied Danny's cooperation, at first, but he had stayed because he saw the value of the task force they had forged with their partnership. He had also found an unexpected friendship forming as they worked together. Steve was a loyal friend and partner and Danny felt that he could easily return that loyalty and friendship. They disagreed, sometimes vehemently, but there was nothing that they couldn't overcome for the greater good and that greater good was one of the things that they could agree on.

The most important approval, though, had come from an opinion Danny valued more than his own and that was Grace's. She had taken to Steve quickly, had given him her trust easily and Danny had seen an affection for her in Steve's demeanor whenever she was around. What was once barely contained tolerance for children in general had grown into a genuine surrogate parent protectiveness towards Grace that Danny had to admit delighted him no end. To watch a hardened soldier melt at the mere smile his daughter would flash his way, was vindication of Danny's assertion that Steve was not all knowing or all armed conflict as he had pretended to be, that his mask could be peeled off so simply.

Steve's vulnerability at revealing that he had once indulged in drugs, in self-destruction just proved to Danny that Steve was human, capable of human fragility and weakness. Qualities that Danny would never hold against him and that he had valued above any military skill Steve could have shown him. As he slowly recovered, he was glad to have someone who understood the suffering he had endured and who could give him the proper perspective. Danny faded into sleep secure in the belonging evident all around him.

**505050**

Steve awoke stiff and sore, but the persistent uncertainty he had felt for the last couple of days was finally gone. He saw his team surrounding him, all of them bonded with the friendship that had grown from working in 5-0 together and any insecurities he had were gone, replacing them was a profound sense of responsibility that he welcomed. He was comfortable with that kind of responsibility. It was familiar and with these people, it came without reservation.

He looked over at a sleeping Danny, no longer plagued by the pain of withdrawal, finally released from the prison that being under the influence of drugs can create though he had to admit that Danny had remarkably withstood it all with a strength that he had never possessed. Danny had helped him come to terms with his addictive past for in sharing it with Danny, he had finally confronted his guilt over the death of his friend and Danny had absolved him, had shown him that he had to let his past go, that it would slowly destroy him. Danny also had killed Wo Fat, removing any more obstacles to getting past the vendetta that had dogged his father's life as well as his own. A part of Steve wondered if Danny had planned it somehow, that he felt it was up to him to release Steve and give him a new beginning. it wouldn't surprise him if that had been his intention.

Steve knew that Danny had suffered his own share of challenges since he had met him, moving to a new enviroment out of love for his daughter, fighting for what little visitation he got, losing his first partner then having to clear his name, gaining a G.I. Joe of a partner who got him shot on day one of meeting him, being disillusioned by a brother he thought he had known, it had all been difficult at best, still, he fought back and had overcome them all, finding purpose in his work, work that he excelled in doing.

Danny's strength of will and will to live, had been truly tested to the brink of endurance when Wo Fat had used him as lab experiment and bait to exact his revenge on Steve. What Steve had found most admirable was that though Danny would never sacrifice his life needlessly as he had threatened Steve when he had acted impulsively for his vendetta against Hesse,

_"You just took a stupid risk, okay? Understand that. I am not getting myself killed for your vendetta. I have a daughter, okay?"_

Danny had been willing to ensure that Steve would be spared the same torture he had been enduring by making sure that Steve escaped their imprisonment even if it meant being left behind. He was as courageous as any soldier Steve had ever known.

No one had been more relieved than Steve when Danny had broken through the withdrawal and had begun to recover. He wasn't prepared to lose a partner he had entrusted so much of himself, let alone his life, to as well as someone he had respected on many more levels than just as a fellow law enforcement officer.

Steve stood up to stretch out his long legs, returning circulation to them. He looked over at Danny and he was opening his eyes.

"How you feeling there, partner?" Steve asked.

"Like I've gone through the looking glass."

Steve gave him a look. Danny caught it.

"Bedtime story. Alice in Wonderland?" Danny said, weakly, but feeling like he was rebounding.

He shook his head slowly when Steve just gave him a goofy grin.

"We're definitely going to have to educate you on the classics. Can't have you reading to Grace without getting into the characters."

Steve just continued to smile.

**TBC**


	17. Chapter 17

**Vendetta**

**Chapter 17**

It took another week for Danny to fully recover from the heroin and the physical toll that the withdrawal had taken on his body. He still tired easily so despite being well enough to be discharged, he couldn't return to active duty until his endurance was back. The news inspired the return of his rants as he tried feebly and unsuccessfully to convince people that he was perfectly fine. It had been music to everyone's ears, but seeing how short-lived the rant was had also proven that Danny wasn't back to his old self just yet.

Steve had insisted that Danny stay at his place for the night and Danny had been too tired to put up an argument, another sign that he was far from 100%. Danny climbed out of the passenger seat of his Camaro slowly. He had felt a little better after a quick nap on the way to Steve's place from the hospital. Steve had Danny lead the way and he walked through the front door.

"SURPRISE!" greeted happy voices.

Danny scanned the room and saw everyone that he cared about looking back at him with bright smiles.

"Welcome home, Daddy!" squealed his little girl.

"Monkey!" Danny said as he bent down to hug her.

It hurt him that he couldn't scoop her up into his arms like he always did, but he didn't have the strength yet, still, hugging her was the best medication that could be administered to him.

"I'm glad you're better, Danno!"

"Me too. I missed you so much! I'm sorry you couldn't visit me."

"It's okay. I was a little scared, but Steve told me that you would be okay because he had been sick like you and he was okay."

Danny looked up at Steve and gave him a look of gratitude.

"He was right, And you know what else made me want to get better even faster?" He asked looking into her eyes.

She shook her head.

"You," Danny said as he touched the tip of her nose with his finger.

Grace giggled and hugged him even tighter. Danny felt the pain in his body ease with her tender touch.

"You feel up to eating?" Kono asked.

"Yeh," Danny said as he stood back up, holding his Gracie's hand.

She led him to the dining room. There, on the table, were pizza boxes. Gracie gleefully ran over and opened one of them. In it was a pizza that was half mozzarella and half ham and pineapple. Danny looked incredulous and turned towards Steve.

"Really? Really? What did I tell you? Pizza does not have fruit on it."

"But Daddy, I like the ham and pineapple."

Danny looked at his little girl's angelic face smiling up at him then back at Steve's. Steve had a smile from ear to ear.

"Try one, Daddy. It's really good!"

Everyone watched to see what Danny would do, snickering all the while.

"I blame you for this," Danny accused sarcastically, wagging a finger at him. "You have corrupted my daughter. I hold you personally responsible."

Steve just shrugged and continued to smile. Danny reluctantly took a slice of the ham and pineapple and bit into it. He put on a smile for his Grace and she returned it, pleased to be with her father.

Steve's smile softened at the sight of his friend and his daughter. It was good to have his partner back.

**505050**

Danny felt ache and weariness hit his still healing body after a couple of hours. Everyone recognized it and understood. Danny thanked each of them as they left. Steve had arranged with Rachel for Grace to stay the night as well. She had agreed that it would do Grace and Danny good to be together his first night back. Once again, Danny was grateful to Steve and tucked his daughter in for the night. He kissed her on her forehead and she fell instantly asleep at his touch. It made him feel good to give her the security that she hadn't had the whole time he had been sick.

He joined Steve outside to allow the sounds of the ocean to ease the remaining tension and pain that lingered in him.

"Grace asleep?"

"Yeh, yeh, thank you for having her over."

"I figured it would do you both good."

Danny nodded as he settled into a lounge chair. Steve had a moment of deja vu, reliving the moment that Danny had shared his insecurities over whether he was being a good father to Grace. Steve, by then, had no doubts that Danny was the best of fathers having heard him speak lovingly towards Grace. It also brought back regret for how he had treated Danny back then, his obsession with Hesse blindly driving him.

"You okay?" Danny asked, noticing Steve's distraction.

"I'm sorry," Steve said.

"For what?"

"For bullying you off my father's case. You were doing everything right by my dad. I wanted you to know that."

Danny heard Steve's tone and caught the regret there.

"Thanks, I appreciate that, but that's all water under the bridge now."

"I know, but I just needed to set the record straight. It's long overdue."

"Well, apology duly noted and accepted," Danny teased.

Steve nodded and smiled.

"Oh, and nice right cross by the way," Steve said.

Danny laughed and Steve joined in. Their friendship had been tested by a vendetta and had emerged stronger. Danny had given Steve a renewed belief in people that he had questioned after misjudging his friendship with Nick Taylor. Danny had suspected Nick's insincerity and devious intentions from the beginning. Steve had begun to wonder if any allegiance he had forged had been based on anything more than just blind authority. Danny had proven that their partnership was based on equal respect, that he would gladly defend Steve as he had with his former partner, as well as keep him centered by being unafraid to tell him when he was wrong and Steve admitted that he needed that unvarnished perspective. Danny had also proven that he would put himself in harm's way when needed, not foolhardily because Grace was always his first consideration, but Danny understood that sometimes hard choices had to be made and it was not lost on Steve that Danny had made them without second guessing or without any regret for making them. He couldn't have asked for a better partner.

He looked over and found Danny asleep in the chair. In the diminishing light of dusk, he still looked weak, but Steve knew that Danny was on the road to complete recovery. He had been there and like his father had for him, he would ensure that Danny would come back stronger.

Though the experience had brought back painful memories, it had also affirmed that his parents had been good people who had raised and loved two children. The rest didn't matter. It took Danny's level headed thinking to make him see that. Steve had a better view of his future and the future of the task force. For the first time since returning to his home, he had a clarity of focus and he owed it to a man who hadn't hesitated to punch some sense into him, but who would save his life just as readily.

**FIN - Thanks to everyone who stayed with this story and who generously reviewed as well as made this story a favorite. It's all very much appreciated and kept the inspiration going for me. **


End file.
